The Show Must Go On
by Mia M. Turner
Summary: Based on a scene from HSM 2. Sharpay is truly touched to know that Troy came back for her after all she put him through. Oneshot drabble, HSM 2 spoilers, onesided Troypay.


A/N: I just got done watching HSM 2. Literally, it was over about ten minutes ago, and it was brilliance. _However_, I'm an avid Troypay fan, and was admittedly a bit disappointed at the way poor Sharpay got treated. She was definitely acting like a jerk through most of the movie, but I felt she got more crap than she deserved for it. I'm not saying it excuses her for being a jerk, but she _was_ only doing it to get Troy, not to intentionally be a jerk. So I saw this scene and had to write about what I think Sharpay was thinking. I know it's pretty short, but I'm thinking of expanding my "Awkward Detention" story, so if you're horribly disappointed at the length of this fiction, I'll have more on the way. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own High School Musical

The more she thought about it, the more Sharpay felt she nearly meant the words "my life is over".

Where did she go wrong? She'd had her eye on Troy since middle school. He was supposed to be hers! And then Gabriella showed up out of nowhere… It seemed things began going downhill from that moment on. Sharpay wiped a few tears away from her eyes and turned away from the mirror. For once, she couldn't bear to look at herself. All she could think was "what have you done, Sharpay? What have you _done_?" She hadn't meant for things to go this far. All she wanted was for Troy to notice her for once. Still, she knew that was no excuse for the way she was treating her friends.

Sharpay couldn't help but think she deserved the pain she was going through. Even if Troy broke his promise to sing with her, even if her own brother had turned his back on her, she knew she had put it all on herself. If she had only stopped caring about herself for one second, if she had just treated Troy like a human being instead of some sort of trophy to be won, she might have had a chance. Sharpay lowered her head and let out several more tears of regret. She had a chance and she completely blew it…

Sharpay jumped at the sound of someone entering the room. She looked up at the mirror to see Troy standing behind her. She didn't bother wiping her tears; it was too late to hide them from him. Instead she gave a bit of a weak smile. She felt her heart lift. He _did_ care. He came back for her… Troy let out a sigh before speaking.

"I'll sing with you, Sharpay." He said.

Sharpay's smile widened. "Y-You will? …Why?" Troy shrugged.

"What was the first thing you said to me when I started working here?" Sharpay frowned.

"Bring me another ice tea?" she muttered. Troy chuckled a bit.

"Before that. Think hard…" Sharpay looked up for a moment.

"We're all in this together." She murmured in defeat.

"Right." He answered. "I made you a promise."

Sharpay's smile returned. He truly felt Sharpay was worth coming through for; the thought made her feel like melting right there. She jumped out of her chair, still sporting her ear-to-ear smile.

"Alright!" She answered happily, feeling her old self emerging again. "Let's get out there, Troy Bolton!"

"However…" Troy began. "If I sing with you, the Wildcats get to be back in the show."

And her face fell.

Tears began forming in Sharpay's eyes again. Not because she was being forced into sharing the spotlight again, but because of the realization that Troy hadn't really come back for _her_. She knew he had to look out for his friends, but why couldn't he look out for _her _too? Sharpay looked down and shook her head. Friends since third grade seemed to mean nothing to Troy at this moment. Knowing how much she cared about him meant nothing. Sharpay sniffed and looked up. Her voice wavered as she spoke.

"I… only wish you were doing this for _me_ Troy." She answered. She was greeted only with a blank stare, devoid of any regret, sympathy, or even a bit of understanding. She wiped her eyes and attempted to pull herself together. She took a deep breath and lifted her head. "Let's go."

After all, Sharpay lived by a very strict rule:

The show _must _go on.


End file.
